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SUSTAINABILITY CORNER
SDG Facts
Goal 2: Zero Hunger
Facts and Figures
• Current estimates are that nearly 690 million people are hungry, or 8.9 percent of the world population – up by 10 million people in one year and by nearly 60 million in five years.
• The majority of the world’s undernourished – 381 million – are still found in Asia. More than 250 million live in Africa, where the number of undernourished is growing faster than anywhere in the world.
• In 2019, close to 750 million or nearly one in ten people in the world – were exposed to severe levels of food insecurity.
• An estimated 2 billion people in the world did not have regular access to safe, nutritious and sufficient food in 2019.
• If recent trends continue, the number of people affected by hunger will surpass 840 million by 2030, or 9.8 percent of the global population.
• 144 million children under age 5 were affected by stunting in 2019, with three quarters living in Southern Asia and sub-Saharan Africa.
• In 2019, 6.9 per cent (or 47 million) children under 5 were affected by wasting, or acute undernutrition, a condition caused by limited nutrient intake and infection.
Why it matters?
Extreme hunger and malnutrition remain barriers to sustainable development and creates a trap from which people cannot easily escape. Hunger and malnutrition mean less productive individuals, who are more prone to disease and thus often unable to earn more and improve their livelihoods. 2 billion people in the world do not have regular access to safe, nutritious and sufficient food. In 2019, 144 million children under the age of 5 were stunted, and 47 million were affected by wasting.
Why should I care?
We all want our families to have enough food to eat that is also safe and nutritious. A world with zero hunger can positively impact our economies, health, education, equality and social development. It is a key piece of building a better future for everyone. Additionally, with hunger limiting human development, we will not be able to achieve the other sustainable development goals such as education, health and gender equality.
How can we achieve zero hunger?
Food security requires a multi- dimensional approach – from social protection to safeguard safe and nutritious food especially for children - to transforming food systems to achieve a more inclusive and sustainable world. There will need to be investments in rural and urban areas and in social protection so poor people have access to food and can improve their livelihoods.
What can I do to help?
You can make changes in your own life—at home, at work and in the community—by supporting local farmers or markets and making sustainable food choices, supporting good nutrition for all, and fighting food waste. You can also use your power as a consumer and voter, demanding businesses and governments make the choices and changes that will make zero hunger a reality. Join the conversation, on social media platforms or in your local communities.
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